


my beloved

by bugheadtrash



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Betty Cooper Loves Jughead Jones, F/M, FBI Agent Betty Cooper, Hopeful Ending, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones POV, Mentions of the Kiss, Missing Scene, One Shot, Post-Break Up, Sad Jughead Jones, They haven't seen each other in 4 years, Writer Jughead Jones, post 5x03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29334228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugheadtrash/pseuds/bugheadtrash
Summary: What would have happened if Jughead kept going to Pop's, waiting for his friends to show up? And what if one year, Betty actually did show up and they had to face each other four years since they broke up?
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Kudos: 29





	my beloved

People would probably call him pathetic. He probably was, but he still couldn’t help himself from hoping that at least _she_ would show up.

When he first went to Iowa, he didn’t expect to miss Riverdale so much. That town had traumatized him and had ruined the lives of many people who lived there. Being in college was way too normal in comparison to what he had experienced in his hometown. He attended classes he enjoyed without being judged about who he was or where he grew up to, he managed to make a couple of friends and even made an Instagram account to keep up with his fellow classmates. Other than that though, Riverdale was the place that felt like home. It was the place where he met people who became his best friends and where he also met Betty, his first and only love.

Jughead was never a person who thought about relationships or even being intimate with others, but Betty was the exception to the rule. It probably wasn’t what other people call love at first sight, but he slowly and surely fell in love with her. He wasn’t sure if he could ever love anyone as much as her, no matter what happened in the future.

So while he was away, he always had in mind that promise they had made on their last day at Riverdale High during the late evening when they were sitting on the bleachers. To meet up every year on that same day at Pop’s. He thought it was stupid when he first heard it because he believed that there was no way they wouldn’t keep in touch the rest of the year, but he agreed, just like the rest three of them. Unfortunately, things went downhill from that day and they actually stopped talking on a regular basis. His only form of communication with them was liking each other’s Instagram posts and a monthly phone call with Archie. He had also texted Betty a couple of times, but she never replied to him, and she wasn’t very active on social media after going to Yale. So he was waiting for that day, the day he could see his friends, the most important people in his life, again.

* * *

Jughead waited for hours. He felt weird being there alone, sitting in their regular booth with no company or not even his laptop to occupy him. Pop must have felt sorry for him, judging from the way he comforted him when he suggested to refill his cup for the fourth time. But no, it was time to go now. There was no point in keeping waiting, his friends weren’t coming.

Before he left the shop, he noticed this young couple (they were probably juniors on Riverdale High), arriving in Pop's and for a moment, he felt his heart dropping. The resemblance to Betty and Archie was uncanny and he felt his heart beating faster at the thought. No, Jughead knew neither of them would do that. What happened at Hedwig was mistake that they wouldn’t repeat, he was sure of it. He headed off and never looked back again.

_Until the next year._

It was stupid to believe they would show up, especially after what happened on the first year anniversary of the day they made the vow, but he was a little curious to see if any of them did remember. This year, though, he protected himself by not waiting inside the store but deciding to stay on his car instead. Jughead thought that if anyone noticed him, they would think he was a creep for sitting in his car for hours, but he would take it over humiliating himself for once again.

Pop looked happy and the store was packed. Jughead was glad that people still supported him and spend their Friday nights at Pop’s because this man deserved it more than anyone.

They were many groups of people chatting while enjoying their meal, some couples sharing their milkshakes and a couple of families eating dinner with their kids. Everyone had each other’s company, unlike his high school self. He could almost imagine junior high Jughead sitting in a booth all alone, avoiding everyone’s curious gazes and typing in his laptop.

He was deep in his thoughts when he spotted a blonde ponytail bouncing left and right in Pop’s parking lot. Could it really be her?

But no. It wasn’t Betty. Hell, he didn’t even know if Betty wore her ponytail anymore. Perhaps she let it go, like he did with his beanie. They were adults now and they didn’t need any security blankets to protect them from the world. Betty was always mature, but he can imagine how much more responsible she is now. The only thing he wished for was for her to be okay. And maybe that a little part of her, the one that loved him in the best way possible, was still there.

That night he drove to Riverdale High. He didn’t know why he wanted to see this place so much, but it just felt like. He parked his car and walked towards the last place him and his friends spend their final happy moments. He sat on there, hoping no one would see a few tears escaping his eyes.

* * *

He didn’t go to Riverdale the next year. He had become closer with his friends during the past two semesters and he had lots of fun with them. He decided to hang out with them instead of visiting his hometown, desperately looking for comfort from his childhood friends. If they moved on, so could he. Or at least he could try. And the first step to achieve that would be to never go to Pop's on that day ever again. Jughead promised that to himself and tried to forget about the vow they made.

They say that some promises are made to be broken, right?

So he had fun, he went to parties more than every other time in his whole life and he focused on his studies. He also deactivated his Instagram account so he wouldn’t go back and watch the old photos of them Betty still had in her profile. It hurt more than he would ever think, and it didn’t help him move on.

* * *

He shouldn’t be there. He knew it was a very bad idea and the only thing he would end up doing was to hurt himself even more. But he needed to believe he would see them.

The last two months had been hell for him. He was supposed to finish this book he’s been writing but he hasn’t had a clear mind in a while now. He thought things would be easier now that he was at college and he knew what he wanted to do in the future, but instead he was just overthinking everything (and mourning the friends he lost who would definitely support him during this tough time). His roommate must have been sick of him at this point, since all he did was spend his whole day in front of his laptop, trying to write a sentence or two. He always called himself a loner during high school, but he had actually turned into one during the last couple of months, barely interacting with people.

Jughead passed the entrance he had passed hundreds of times since he was a kid for one more time. It was weird to be in Pop’s after three whole years. Not many things had changed, but the sense of familiarity wasn’t as strong as it was before.

He was glad to see their regular booth being empty and he decided to sit there. Jughead got rid of his jacket and made himself comfortable (or as much comfortable as he could get at the time). He was ready to look at the counter to see if Pop had noticed him when he was greeted by an unknown face.

“Good evening, have you decided what you want to order?” a girl around his age asked him, accompanied with a polite smile.

“Oh, I… I’m sorry, is Pop here?” He was worried for her answer, hoping Pop was okay.

“It's his day off, but… how do you know him? I haven’t seen you here before and you’re definitely not from Riverdale. It’s a small town, I would have seen you around.”

He let out a small laugh at this because, _God_ , he practically was a stranger now. He doubted anyone who stayed in the town would remember him (except for some old friends of his father) and he couldn’t even blame them. He hasn’t been in Riverdale in two years and the last time he came, Jughead barely left his car.

“I actually grew up here. I left the town four years ago to study in Iowa,” he explained kindly to her.

She seemed troubled for a moment, but then a look of realisation was evident on her face. “You’re Jughead Jones, aren’t you?” she suddenly smiled, catching him by surprise.

“Yes, how do you-”

“My grandfather has talked to me about you. You see, you always were his favourite costumer and he misses you now that you’re not here on a daily basis.”

“Wait...”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. I’m Tabitha, Pop's granddaughter,” she introduced herself and extend her hand to him. He shook her hand and he suddenly felt a little bit more at ease. 

“That's so cool, when did you start working here?” Tabitha was about to answer when he suddenly heard the bell chiming. He immediately turned his head towards entrance, not expecting to see any of his friends at the door.

_But he was wrong this time_. _She_ had shown up. Betty Cooper was in front of him and she was more beautiful than ever.

“Jughead? Is everything okay?” Tabitha asked him, surprised by the sudden change of his mood.

“I... I'm fine,” he mumbled, still staring at Betty who had just noticed him.

“Oh, is your date here?”

“She's not... We're- We've known each other from a young age,” he explained.

“I’ll come back in a while when you’ll be ready to order,” she smiled and walked away from his table, leaving him alone and vulnerable. _She_ had come. After four years she had actually remembered, and she had visited Riverdale. Was she there for him though? Or did she expect Veronica or Archie to be sitting in the booth instead?

He was still thinking of all the possible scenarios when she took a few steps closer to the table. Jughead needed to calm down, because he was about to embarrass himself if he kept acting like this. _It’s okay, you can do it_ , he thought.

“ _Juggie_ ,” she whispered when she finally reached the booth and took the seat opposite from him. _God, she had to make it even harder by using this nickname._

“Betts, hi,” he managed to say, even though he was sure she could barely listen to his voice. Betty gave him a shy smile in return. 

“How are you?”

 _How was he?_ That was such a simple and casual question, one that doesn’t seem fitting for two people who haven’t seen each other in four years. What was he supposed to answer? He was definitely not doing great but he wasn’t awful either, but how would he say that without explaining what has happened to his life during the last few years? They could sit here and talk for hours, but he doubted Betty would want to deal with his shit from college.

So instead he asked her the same question. “How are _you_ , Betty?”

She smiled again at that. Jughead couldn’t tell what she was thinking at this moment, but judging from the way she looked at him, she probably found it kinda endearing that he asked her that instead of answering the question himself.

“I’m... good, I guess. Adult life has been complicated and tough at times, but I'm holding up.”

“Of course you would. I had no doubt.”

Betty sighed at his answer and Jughead tried to understand what she was thinking for once again. But also, he wanted to ask her “ _why now?”._ Why hadn’t she shown up the previous years but instead she did now? They were quiet for a few seconds, both of them trying to come up with a topic they could discuss about without making things awkward. Betty was the first one to talk after these few moments of silence. 

“Archie told me you two stopped talking shortly after the end of your second semester of college. Did you keep in touch with anyone else from high school?”

How does she know about him and Archie? Had they... “Have you and Archie been talking?”

“We occasionally talk, yeah. Not the way we did back in high school. Me and Veronica have met a couple of times too, she’s-”

“I guess I was the only one who wasn’t worth of your time,” he murmured at her answer. He didn’t want to seem bitter and he really cared for his friends, but at the moment he couldn’t hide his sadness over the fact that she never stopped talking with Archie and Veronica.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you reply to my texts, Betty? I had texted you a while after you left for Yale and you didn’t even bother reading my messages.”

“Jughead...”

“And why did you show up now? I’ve been here two other times and none of you showed up!” he raised his voice. “You didn’t even bother letting me know. I was sitting in this fucking booth for two hours, waiting for someone to show up,” Jughead said, still pained over it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come in,” she teared up.

“What does that mean?”

“That first year... I- I saw you, Jug,” she confessed, tearing her gaze away from him.

“Why didn’t you-"

“I wasn’t ready to see you. Not after the way we ended things,”

“So it felt better to face me four years later with no form of communication beforehand?’’ he wondered, a hint of anger evident in his voice.

“Look… I didn’t handle our break-up well. And I’m not implying that it was any better for you, I know you were hurt over that… incident.” _The kiss_. He could never forget that. “I knew something was off from the time we started growing distant and from the fact that we never had that talk you mentioned the day Archie left. You kept everything inside you, you didn’t have anyone to talk to since your family had recently left and I,” she was sobbing now, incapable of finishing her sentence. Jughead didn’t want her to finish it either way. Everything Betty had mentioned was right, but he hated to see her sad. She might have hurt him, but it was evident she was hurting too.

So he did thing the only thing he knew how to do. He held her hand and tried to bring her even the tiniest bit of comfort. He remembered how John and Peter, his friends from college, had reacted when Jughead talked about his relationship with Betty. They found it weird how he never stayed mad at her or how he didn’t fight with her over her kiss with Archie. But they could never understand what they’ve been through, how Betty had also been there for him when no one could help him. _No one else could ever understand but them._

“It’s okay, Betts. It’s all in the past,” he whispered while stroking her thumb. A small smile covered her face and he was instantly glad that he made her smile. Betty broke the silence after a minute or two. “But really Jug, how have you been? You didn’t answer my question earlier,” she asked him, trying to change the mood. Jughead knew she never liked losing control over her feelings, especially in public places, so she wanted to focus on something else, start a new conversation.

“I’m holding up, like you said,” he replied but by the look on her face he could tell that she was expecting something more from him. “I- I’m actually working on a book right now,” he shyly continued. At that Betty’s mood shifted and she flashed him a toothy grin, one that he hadn’t seen in years.

“Jug! Congratulations, I’m so happy for you,” she exclaimed, drawing some attention to their table from other customers.

“Thank you, Betty,” he said, not being able to hide his blush. “Are you working on something? You didn’t tell me what you’re up to.”

“I actually wanted to see you today because I have some news. I thought after everything we’ve been through, you deserved to be the first to know,” she announced suddenly.

“What is it?”

“I’ll be training for the FBI. I know it might seem weird, but I miss this rush I felt while solving mysteries with…” _with you_ , she wanted to say. “Besides, you know I love protecting people,” she added.

“No, it’s not weird. You were always meant to do that,” he confessed. Of course Betty would be an FBI agent. She was the smartest person he knew, and she always wanted to save people from the evil out there. “I’m proud of you,” he added.

“I’m proud of you too, Jug. You know, I’ve been reading your articles and your writing has become even better and I didn’t know that was possible.” She didn’t forget him either. She kept up with what he was doing in her own way. They stayed for a few seconds just like that, staring at each other while gripping their hands together. That sense of familiarity Jughead had missed when he walked in the shop had finally come back to him.

“Jug, I hate to do this, but I really have to go,” she broke the silence after a while. “I can’t describe how happy I was to see you today,” she added.

He hated that he had to say goodbye again. He knew, though, that this wouldn’t be the last time he saw her.

“I understand. It was good to see you,” he admitted. Betty returned the words to him and got up to leave the shop, Riverdale and _him_.

“Betty!” he shouted before she had the chance to walk out of the door. She turned her head towards him and waited for him to speak.

“Do you remember what I had told you the day we decided to…” _break up._

The way her expression changed, gave him the answer. A second later, Betty also nodded.

“Please, never forget it. It won’t change no matter what.” _I still love you, he wanted to say. I’ll always love you._

He witnessed a tear running down her face, her beautiful face, and he wanted to stand up and wipe it, just like he did the day she told him what had happened between her and Archie. Because he could never stay mad at her, especially not when she was hurting. Other people might call him stupid or even claim that he deserved a better treatment than this, but no. His heart would always belong to her.

“Same, Juggie. Always,” she admitted, more tears escaping her eyes.

“Don’t become a stranger, okay?” he smiled.

“I promise I won’t,” and with that, she made her way towards the entrance, leaving Pop’s and him. It was painful to watch her leave, especially when he didn’t have any idea when he would see her again.

As soon as she got into her car and glanced towards his direction for one last time, Jughead opened his laptop. He had come prepared this time; in case he would spend his hours alone like that first year. He opened the document that kept him awake and made him frustrated so many times during the last few months and he started writing.

Jughead had lost the sense of time, being way too deep into what he was writing that he didn’t even touch the coffee Tabitha brought him a while ago. He hadn't been this inspired in a long time and he definitely knew what helped him today, what had finally changed.

After two hours and thirty-four new pages, he had finally finished the last chapter of his book. He was sad he didn’t have someone to share his excitement with, but it was okay.

There was only one last thing he needed to do. He went back to the first pages of the book and specifically, the page of the dedication he had left empty. He was trying to figure out what he should write there, but nothing felt right until that time.

_To My Beloved,_

_Thank you for always inspiring me._

He wasn’t sure when he would see her again. Perhaps the next time they would meet, Jughead would be a published author with a best-selling book and Betty would be an FBI agent who have solved some of the biggest crimes in the world. Many things might change, but he was sure that one thing would stay the same: their mutual love for each other.

**FIN.**

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed :)  
> it didn't feel right to give them the happiest ending, but we all know that bughead is endgame, always.  
> be patient, we'll get them back soon!
> 
> i would love to hear your thoughts on this & please leave a kudo if you liked it.


End file.
